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How to Set Up Your Own Instant Messaging Server

November 2nd, 2007 | 2 Comments | Posted in How To, Software

Chat Icon Instant messaging is not just for personal use. It is also a great way for employees to communicate with one another in the corporate world. If you are in IT, then setting up an instant messaging server can be a great benefit to your company. And the best part is that you can set one up without spending a dime. In the following tutorial, I would like to guide you through the easy process of installing my personal favorite IM server software, Openfire. More »

How To Automatically Remove Preloaded Software From A New Computer

May 31st, 2007 | 16 Comments | Posted in How To, Software, Tools

As an IT manager, I am constantly setting up new computers. I wish setting them up was as easy as just plugging them in and turning them over to the user but it’s not. Before I can do this, not only do I have to install all of the typical company software, but I also have remove all of the preloaded trial software. This can take lots of time depending on the manufacturer of the computer and how much software has been preloaded. This is time that I could spend doing other things like managing our servers. In my search to make this process much easier, I have found a program that will automatically uninstall preloaded software for me, and I would like to show you how to use it. More »

How to Fix a Stuck or Dead Pixel

April 21st, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in Hardware, How To, Tools

Stuck pixels usually show up as small red, blue, or green dots on your LCD monitor and can be very annoying. The good news is that they can be fixed. In this article, I will give you instructions on how to get rid of them yourself without having to send your monitor off to a repair shop. More »

How to Make an Ethernet Patch Cable

November 7th, 2006 | 1 Comment | Posted in Hardware, How To

Making an Ethernet patch cable is easier than most people think. I am going to share with you one of the best tutorials that I have ever found on how to create one. Just follow the steps in this video by ViewDo to learn how to create your own. More »

Determine Memory Type Without Opening The Computer

October 2nd, 2006 | 17 Comments | Posted in Hardware, How To, Tools

With so many different types of RAM these days, purchasing a memory upgrade is not as easy as it used to be. Since there are so many different types, you will want to make sure you know what you need before you place your order. I would like to show you some quick ways that will help you to determine RAM type without even cracking the case. More »

How to Recover Data from a Crashed Hard Drive

September 25th, 2006 | 21 Comments | Posted in Hardware, How To, Software, Tools

If you are a tech, then you probably know that hard drive failures are inevitable. Chances are that sooner or later it will happen to someone you support or possibly even you. Even with a successful backup, you still may not have files that were created or modified after the last backup. Even worse is when you don’t have a backup at all. There is still hope however. I would like to show you how you can use a simple freeware utility to recover files even when your hard drive will not boot. More »

How to Permanently Wipe All Data from a Hard Drive

September 23rd, 2006 | 4 Comments | Posted in Hardware, How To, Software, Tools

My previous job was at a state university. Before sending our old computers off to auction, we had to wipe all hard drives according to Department of Defense 5220-22.M standards. This was to ensure the next owner would not be able to recover any sensitive files that were stored on the computer even through forensic analysis. Now I would like to show you how to wipe a hard drive following this same technique. More »

How to Automatically Back Up Your Hard Drive

September 17th, 2006 | 3 Comments | Posted in How To, Software

If you support users like I do, then you will know how frustrated they can get when their hard drive fails and they have no backup. Even worse is when this happens to you. That is why I would like to share with you an easy way to automatically back up your hard drive using a very powerful free backup utility. Just follow these simple steps. More »

Easily Repair a Corrupt Internet Connection

September 15th, 2006 | 12 Comments | Posted in How To, Networking, Software, Tools, Windows

Have you ever come across a computer that wouldn’t connect to the Internet after removing spyware or other network related software? Or maybe you can connect, but you can only visit certain sites while others time out. This problem is associated with winsock corruption in Windows XP. At this point most people reload the machine. Now you don’t have to. This utility has helped me a countless number of times so I would like to share it with you. More »

How to Host a Web Site from Your Computer

September 11th, 2006 | 58 Comments | Posted in How To, Software, Web Hosting

In the following article I am going to show you how to host a web site from your own computer. Why would you want to do this you might ask? Well for one, it’s free. It’s also great for hosting small web sites or sharing large files with friends. However, if you are planning on running a site with high traffic I would not recommend this. Just follow these simple steps and you will have your own web server up and running in no time. More »

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